impulse control
I have a rule that says that I am not allowed to go into The Strand with both of the following things in my possession: a) a credit card, b) time on my hands. But like most rules it's meant to be broken. I shouldn't be buying books right now (for one thing, I have no bookshelves at the moment). And yet, today:
Diana Abu-Jaber, The Language of Baklava: a Memoir (I loved her novel Crescent, the story of an Iraqi-American chef in LA, and among other things a delirious love letter to the foods of the Middle East). This is a memoir-with-recipes, which is trend we should all encourage. I'm already looking forward to trying her muhammara recipe, which appears subtly & interestingly different than mine.
Perihan Mağden, Two Girls. Magden is a novelist and a columnist for the Turkish daily Radikal, and I've been wanting to read this novel about two teenagers in contemporary Istanbul for some time. It's recently been made into a film, directed by the Turkish multimedia/video artist Kutluğ Ataman.
Alaa Al-Aswany, The Yacoubian Building. Another one I've wanted to read for ages. I heard him speak at PEN World Voices, and he had some interesting tales about the writing of the book.
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Desertion. This is a lovely book--I know because I've already read more than half of it. But I didn't have time to finish it before heading to Oxford, and had to return it before my departure or risk paying even more money in fines to the Brooklyn Public Library, already a major recipient of my forgetful dollars.
And (yet another) Strand bag. This one is a very fetching bright orange color.
[and my guilt is salved by the fact that I still--bookbag included--spent less than forty dollars]
I summoned the remnants of my willpower and managed to resist (for now):
The Human Rights Watch World Report 2006 (by reminding myself, it's available online)
The Pedagogical State: Education and the Politics of National Culture in Post-1980s Turkey
Mercy in Her Eyes: the Films of Mira Nair
Abha Dawesar's new novel That Summer in Paris (I liked Babyji, but not enough to buy this in hardcover...will check the library first).
I also kicked myself when I unearthed a review copy of Brian Whitaker's Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East (another Saqi publication) for less than ten bucks, since I paid full-price (in pounds!) for copy in London last month on the grounds that it wasn't yet available in the States. O Strand, I should have had faith in ye. I'll post a review of it one of these days.
All this and I didn't even go up to the photography/art book section.
Diana Abu-Jaber, The Language of Baklava: a Memoir (I loved her novel Crescent, the story of an Iraqi-American chef in LA, and among other things a delirious love letter to the foods of the Middle East). This is a memoir-with-recipes, which is trend we should all encourage. I'm already looking forward to trying her muhammara recipe, which appears subtly & interestingly different than mine.
Perihan Mağden, Two Girls. Magden is a novelist and a columnist for the Turkish daily Radikal, and I've been wanting to read this novel about two teenagers in contemporary Istanbul for some time. It's recently been made into a film, directed by the Turkish multimedia/video artist Kutluğ Ataman.
Alaa Al-Aswany, The Yacoubian Building. Another one I've wanted to read for ages. I heard him speak at PEN World Voices, and he had some interesting tales about the writing of the book.
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Desertion. This is a lovely book--I know because I've already read more than half of it. But I didn't have time to finish it before heading to Oxford, and had to return it before my departure or risk paying even more money in fines to the Brooklyn Public Library, already a major recipient of my forgetful dollars.
And (yet another) Strand bag. This one is a very fetching bright orange color.
[and my guilt is salved by the fact that I still--bookbag included--spent less than forty dollars]
I summoned the remnants of my willpower and managed to resist (for now):
The Human Rights Watch World Report 2006 (by reminding myself, it's available online)
The Pedagogical State: Education and the Politics of National Culture in Post-1980s Turkey
Mercy in Her Eyes: the Films of Mira Nair
Abha Dawesar's new novel That Summer in Paris (I liked Babyji, but not enough to buy this in hardcover...will check the library first).
I also kicked myself when I unearthed a review copy of Brian Whitaker's Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East (another Saqi publication) for less than ten bucks, since I paid full-price (in pounds!) for copy in London last month on the grounds that it wasn't yet available in the States. O Strand, I should have had faith in ye. I'll post a review of it one of these days.
All this and I didn't even go up to the photography/art book section.
posted by kitabet at 7:42 PM
2 Comments:
You probably know this already, but The Yacoubian Building has been made into a film. I think it was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival this year; it has generated quite some controversy and box-office revenue back in Cairo; and googling leads to a hefty NPR All Things Considered resource page on the book, movie!
Sameen
And now, the first chapter of The Yacoubian Building has been excerpted in the NYTimes Book Section ... i think it is hilarious. almost as funny as abd al-jawwad (in Mahfouz's Palace Walk) lustful musings ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/books/chapters/0827-1st-aswa.html?ref=books
Sameen
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